I set up my 25G tank up with fresh water plants 10 days ago. Per instructions at the pet store I added 3 Zebra Danio after six days of setting up my live plant freshwater tank to start the nitrogen cycle. They seem very happy. They have been in the tank 3 days. Today I noticed two of them are starting to turn a pinkish color from the anal fin back and their gills are looking red. Their behavior is normal and they are eating normal. I replaced 10% of the water and their red irritated color improved a little but not totally? All the water test's are in the normal and safe range? What am I missing? The pinkish color in the skin starts from the anal fin back to the tail and just around the gills. It looks like it would hurt like red irritated skin would on us?
Zeb Danios in a 25 g freshwater tank set up 10 days ago
- Thread starter crutland
- Start date
Pet store gave you bad advice!!!
Red gills probably means the ammonia levels are toxic. Zebra Danios are often used to start a tank cycle because they are cheap and fairly hardy- however if their gills are red they are probably suffering- and even if they survive the cycling they will lead shortenend lives as a result.
You can read about fishless cycling somewhere- but it is too late now- you're stuck with fish-in cycling. I'd get a test kit for ammonia/nitrates and nitrites and do massive water changes until ammonia levels are no longer toxic. You may want to go ahead and do a 75% water change now before going to the store to get a test kit. I wouldn't add any more fish until the tank is completely cycled. A cycle can take a month to complete. If you do it without fish it saves you having to do huge water changes each day.
If you have a friend that has a fish tank- ask for a little bit of his/her filter media to place in your filter to give your cycle a jump-start. I'd google "fish-in nitrogen cycle" for more information- tonnes out there...
If you've got good lights- more plants (fast growing) will help (if you don't make sure you get low-light plants or they will die, rot and make the problem worse.)
Good luck and best of wishes.
Red gills probably means the ammonia levels are toxic. Zebra Danios are often used to start a tank cycle because they are cheap and fairly hardy- however if their gills are red they are probably suffering- and even if they survive the cycling they will lead shortenend lives as a result.
You can read about fishless cycling somewhere- but it is too late now- you're stuck with fish-in cycling. I'd get a test kit for ammonia/nitrates and nitrites and do massive water changes until ammonia levels are no longer toxic. You may want to go ahead and do a 75% water change now before going to the store to get a test kit. I wouldn't add any more fish until the tank is completely cycled. A cycle can take a month to complete. If you do it without fish it saves you having to do huge water changes each day.
If you have a friend that has a fish tank- ask for a little bit of his/her filter media to place in your filter to give your cycle a jump-start. I'd google "fish-in nitrogen cycle" for more information- tonnes out there...
If you've got good lights- more plants (fast growing) will help (if you don't make sure you get low-light plants or they will die, rot and make the problem worse.)
Good luck and best of wishes.
I did not know you could cycle a tank without fish. I am probably going to lose them but I will give it a try. When you said "ask for a little bit of filter media to place your filter to give your cycle a jump-start" - I have a friend I could do that with that has Danios herself. (Her tank is 6+ months old. She started her tank the same way - I called her tonight. She did not have these problems that she noticed. She does not have live plants. That may or may not make a difference.
Getting her filter media. How would I go about doing that? Cut open her filter and take a teaspoon out? I am very new to this hobby and I have read everything I can find on starting a freshwater tank but can't find anything on this - I have offically become overwhelmed... Forgive me for needing dumbed down instructions. I don't want to make them anymore sick than I already have. Watching these poor things being tortured and knowing I could have prevented it really sucks...
Getting her filter media. How would I go about doing that? Cut open her filter and take a teaspoon out? I am very new to this hobby and I have read everything I can find on starting a freshwater tank but can't find anything on this - I have offically become overwhelmed... Forgive me for needing dumbed down instructions. I don't want to make them anymore sick than I already have. Watching these poor things being tortured and knowing I could have prevented it really sucks...
Welcome to AC! Test strips are not as reliable as a good liquid test kit. Ammonia and Nitrites can cause damage at levels as low as .25 ppm. Depending on what type of filter your friend has will determine what you can take from it. She may have one that has a sponge or two along with other types. In the meantime do a 50% daily water change, using a good dechlorinator like Prime.
I agree with both what Rbishop and Wycco said. The main thing until your tank is fully cycled it to water change like crazy and keep the toxic things under .25 ppm. Nitrites will be even more damaging when those show up. Having plants helps with the ammo and nitrite, but doesn't take away the need to do water changes. Using prime lilke Bob said is a great idea too. It not only dechlors the water, but helps null some of the toxic effects of the ammo. As far as filter media, if your friend has a filter that has a sponge or a cloth or bag catridge, you can just cut a piece of that and shove it in your filter. You can also seed with gravel if you wante dto just take a handful of hers and hang it in your tank using some ladie knee high hose or something, that works as well. Welcome to AC and good luck. 
THEY HAVE VELVET!!!! I was just watching them, drinking my coffee and the two that looked stressed look like they have been dredged through yellow flower pollen. I did some research online and it says velvet. - Here is the site recommendations - 1. Raise the water temperature (what temp?), 2. Dim the lights for several days (will this hurt my plants?) - 3. Add aquarium salt (I have some but does not say how much), 4. Treat with copper sulphate for ten days, and 5. Discontinue carbon filtration during treatment (will this mean the ammonia will get so high I will lose them anyway?) - Am I now doomed???? I have totally screwed up haven't I...
So far I have done one 10% water change and I picked up some Seachem Stability added it to the tank along with Aquarium Salt. The difference two hours later is amazing. The redness in their gills and skin is almost totally gone. About the velvet disease - I am going to raise the temp to 86 degrees for 10 days and I have added an air-stone to keep the O2 levels at a max and I changed to a food with garlic supplement to boost immunity. They are still very active and their appetite is still very big. So far so good. ;-)
Fortunately I've never had velvet- so sorry no help there... good to hear they seem to be looking healthier.
As far as the stability:
I don't know if stability works the same as prime as far as detoxing ammonia, I don't use Stability. If it does- it only locks it in a less toxic form of ammonium for 24-48 hrs- and then it can become toxic again if it is still in the water.
Personally, I don't think a 10% water change is really enough. If you have .5ppm ammonia- a 50% water change would still be a toxic .25ppm. If stability works like prime- it will keep the problem at bay for a while but not indefinately. Fortunately Zebra Danios are pretty tough little fish- if any fish can make it through this the Danios will.
Oh, and do you have any access to willow branches... If you can get hold of some 1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter fresh cut branches and can stick them in- nothing sucks up nutrients (ammonia) quite like willow branches... of course it will take 5 days for the roots to start growing and it to start helping (part has to be above water)- also when you're done you'll have to take them out again slowly- no more than one every other day to let bacteria build up to absorb the nutrients that the willows had been sucking up.
Dimming the light for several days may not help the plants- but it shouldn't kill them if they're healthy- plants are regulary shipped. In the past month I've received some from Canada, California and Malaysia trying to fill up my new aquarium... and almost all of them survived the shipping inside an envelope or a package for 3 days to 10 days.
They won't be sucking up any ammonia when the lights are off though (and may even add some).
It says to stop using carbon in your filter because it will suck up the copper suphate. Don't worry though- Carbon does not remove ammonia/nitrate/nitrite so it isn't doing anything to help as far as that goes anyway.
I personally don't (usually) use carbon in my filter because it takes the plant fertilisers out of the water.
As far as the stability:
I don't know if stability works the same as prime as far as detoxing ammonia, I don't use Stability. If it does- it only locks it in a less toxic form of ammonium for 24-48 hrs- and then it can become toxic again if it is still in the water.
Personally, I don't think a 10% water change is really enough. If you have .5ppm ammonia- a 50% water change would still be a toxic .25ppm. If stability works like prime- it will keep the problem at bay for a while but not indefinately. Fortunately Zebra Danios are pretty tough little fish- if any fish can make it through this the Danios will.
Oh, and do you have any access to willow branches... If you can get hold of some 1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter fresh cut branches and can stick them in- nothing sucks up nutrients (ammonia) quite like willow branches... of course it will take 5 days for the roots to start growing and it to start helping (part has to be above water)- also when you're done you'll have to take them out again slowly- no more than one every other day to let bacteria build up to absorb the nutrients that the willows had been sucking up.
Dimming the light for several days may not help the plants- but it shouldn't kill them if they're healthy- plants are regulary shipped. In the past month I've received some from Canada, California and Malaysia trying to fill up my new aquarium... and almost all of them survived the shipping inside an envelope or a package for 3 days to 10 days.
They won't be sucking up any ammonia when the lights are off though (and may even add some).
It says to stop using carbon in your filter because it will suck up the copper suphate. Don't worry though- Carbon does not remove ammonia/nitrate/nitrite so it isn't doing anything to help as far as that goes anyway.
I personally don't (usually) use carbon in my filter because it takes the plant fertilisers out of the water.